Panda gives birth to twins at Zoo Atlanta (Video)

ATLANTA (AP) -- A giant panda named Lun Lun gave birth Monday at Zoo Atlanta to two tiny cubs, the first twin pandas born in the United States since 1987, zoo spokeswoman Keisha Hines announced.

The 15-year-old panda went into labor Monday afternoon and gave birth to the first cub at 6:21 p.m. EDT and the second two minutes later. Hines said zookeepers who had been anticipating only one cub based on a recent ultrasound were surprised by the first-ever twin panda births at Zoo Atlanta.

An ultrasound on June 30 determined that Lun Lun was pregnant with her fourth cub. Hines says zookeepers weren't expecting the tiny duo, however.

The twin cubs are the first giant pandas to be born in the United States in 2013, Hines added.

Zoo officials are working with animal care workers from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, where Lun Lun and her 15-year-old partner, Yang Yang, were born. There was no immediate report on the size or weight of the cubs at birth, nor the condition of the offspring and mother.

But zoo officials were in a celebratory mood.

"This is a success we share with all of our fellow zoological organizations working to understand and protect this iconic species, and we share our joy with our local community and with our colleagues in China," said Raymond B. King, Zoo Atlanta's president and CEO.

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"Twins are an entirely new scenario for Lun Lun, Zoo Atlanta and our animal care teams, who will no doubt be extremely busy over the next few months," his statement added.

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